Ruby
by Sirriamnis
Summary: What happens to Nightcrawler after X-Men Unlimited #30? Don't ask me how he made it all the way to WA state, but he does. Strong language, sexual situations in upcoming chapters.
1. The Rescue

Ruby Dawn-Chapter One

(Nightcrawler and the X-men are the property of Marvel Comics, Ruby is out of my own twisted little head.)

Driving I-90 back to Seattle after dark in her ancient Landcruiser, Ruby fumed over another irritating visit to her parents' home outside of Spokane. "Marriage, kids, doesn't that woman think of anything else?" Ruby muttered, her fingers tapping along with Ministry on the steering wheel. "How about being proud of what I've accomplished? How about that?" All the anger she'd kept stewing under the surface during her visit to her parents bubbled to the surface. She shook her head, her bobbed dark purple hair swirled around her face, and the rows of silver hoops in her ears jangled discordantly. "Oh no, they couldn't possibly be proud of a girl on her own. I make three times what dad makes. And Mom may as well have asked me if I was a dyke. Good God, people. It's the 21st century." 

As she came up Indian John Hill, something started niggling at the edges of her consciousness, fear, anger … She reached over and turned down the stereo to concentrate. After a minute, she flipped on her turn signal, and took the rest stop exit. Pulling into the semi parking, she saw them. A group of truckers, most of them big and out of shape, surrounded a smaller figure in an overcoat. 

"Oh, this ain't right," Ruby muttered. She reached over and pulled her gun out of the glove box, and thumbed the safety off. She gunned the motor and slewed to a stop right near the mob. Opening the door, she stood on the running boards and fired one shot into the air. The mob froze. 

"Back off, assholes!" she yelled. "Back away from 'im slowly."

"But… Miss, he's a mutie!" one of the truckers yelled back, brave enough to talk, but not move. 

"And you're an asshole, and I'm armed and potentially homicidal," she said. "You in the overcoat. Get in the car. Now." She held the gun on them while the figure in the overcoat picked itself up off the ground, grabbed a duffle bag and limped over to the car. "Don't get any ideas. I can't shoot all of you, but who wants to lay money he's the one I won't have a bullet for?" Once the figure, male, was safely inside the car, Ruby eased herself back in, threw it in gear, and drove off in a spray of gravel. 

On the highway, convinced they weren't being followed, at least not yet, Ruby picked the gun up off her lap, thumbed on the safety and leaned over to put it in the glove box. She glanced at the three-fingered hands and blue-furred skin. 

"There's paper towels in the back seat, and a bottle of water under your feet if you want to clean yourself up a little," she said. "Ruby Dees." She changed lanes quickly around a slow moving mini-van. 

"Kurt… Wagner," he said, reaching down between his feet for the bottle of water. 

"Thought so. When you were with Excalibur, the British magazines like Face used to have you guys in 'em all the time," she said, frowning into the rearview mirror. "I don't think they're coming. By this time tomorrow you'll be ten feet tall and breathing flame, and I'll be an army of machine gun bearing amazons." She laughed. 

"Thank you," he said, reaching back for the paper towels and wincing as the movement strained injured ribs. 

"No problem," Ruby said. "I could feel what was going on before I crested the hill."

"Feel? Are you a mutant?" he asked, uncapping the bottle of water.

"I don't know. My Grammy's people call it the Gift. Could be mutant, could be not. All I know is I'm not the first one in my family to have it, whatever it is." She glanced over at him. "They really did a number on you. You're welcome to stay in my spare room, at least until you heal up."

"I can't ask…" he started.

"Don't be ridiculous," she said. "I am not dumping an injured man without a place to stay, in the middle of nowhere."

Kurt opened his mouth to ask how she knew he didn't have anyplace to go, but thought better of it. Instead he changed tack.

"Are you sure you'll feel safe with the mutant menace lurking in your home?" he asked, bitterly.

"A. Helloooo? You listen to a goddamned thing I've said since you got in this car? And, B. I'd know if you had any ill intent long before you did yourself. You're staying." She ejected the cd from the stereo. "Don't bleed on my upholstery, what's left of it."

"Fraulein Dees…" he started.

"Ruby," she said, reaching up to put the cd in her hand back in the holder on her visor, and pull out another one. "I hope you like industrial."

"Ruby, I am grateful," he said, wiping the blood away from his split lip. "But I can't ask you…"

"You're not asking. Its settled," she said, and turned up the stereo.

Kurt washed his face with the towels and water. Ruby pulled the rearview mirror off the windshield and handed it to him, so could see what he was doing. After he'd finished, he handed back the mirror, and dozed off to the thumping bass of KMFDM.

***

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty. Wake up. We're almost there," Ruby said, reaching over to gently shake him awake. 

"Oh!" He started awake. They drove down a narrow two-lane road, bordered by trees. The headlights illuminated straight ahead, but didn't penetrate the thick undergrowth lining the road. Ruby flicked on her right turn signal, slowed and turned down a dirt track, crowded with blackberry brambles. 

"I live in the geodesic dome over there," she said, nodding to a dark, round shape to the right of the parking area, as she pulled to a stop.

"You live in a geodesic dome?" he asked, opening the door, and hauling his duffle bag out of the back seat. 

"Its cozy," she said. "Besides, at night, with the lights on, from the end of the dock, it looks like a glowing skull."

"Dock?"

"We're on the edge of Lake Desire," she said, pulling her backpack out of the land cruiser. 

He followed her over to the dome. She opened the door, and gestured for him to enter ahead of her. Once they were both inside, she flipped on a light switch. 

Two black cats sat, like Egyptian statues, on the breakfast bar that separated the kitchen from the living area. Behind them, he cold see two doors in the only flat wall in the place. 

"Bastet and Sekhmet, this is Kurt. Kurt's going to be staying with us for a while." The two cats blinked lazily. "The far door is the spare room. There's a futon, and some blankets in there. The other door is the bathroom. Towels are in the cupboard over the toilet. I sleep in the loft." She dropped her backpack on the couch, and opened the door to the spare room. He followed. She flipped on the light. Walking over, she closed the curtains on the wall of windows. "Sleep yourself out. I'll be leaving for work pretty early. You're welcome to anything in the fridge or cupboards." She unfolded a couple of blankets and pulled two pillows out of a box. "See you tomorrow," she said in a tone of voice that implied she'd better. 

***

When Kurt woke up, he was alone in the house. He staggered out of the spare room, in his underwear and looked at the clock in the kitchen. 2:30. The two cats sleeping on the futon, lifted their heads, blinked once at him, and went back to sleep. He took a shower, and dressed. Looking for something to eat, he found a note in the kitchen. "Leftover chinese in the fridge should still be good. Be back around 3-ish. Ruby. PS Cats don't go out." He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a carton marked with a red Chinese dragon. 

By the time Ruby actually got home, closer to four, with bags of groceries, Kurt had almost finished cleaning the kitchen. 

"You should be resting," she said, setting the bags on the counter. 

" I was bored," he said. "And I wanted to do something for you." 

"Ok, dice onions," she said, tossing one at him. He caught it. "I hope you like spaghetti. Its one of the few things I can cook." 

"Sounds good," he said.

"I also picked up some fresh veggies, lunch meat, bread and a couple of steaks. If there's anything you'd like, let me know, and I'll pick it up tomorrow."

"I won't stay very long," he said. "I don't want to impose."

"Nonsense. You've got nowhere else to stay, and I could use the company." She started pulling things out of the bags. "My best friend, Stephen, lived with me for a while. He picked this place out. Then, well, heroin got to mean more to him than me. He split almost a month ago. Took my TV and VCR and computer. Probably sold them for drug money. I replaced everything material." She sighed. "I've put him through rehab twice. Maybe next time it'll stick." She sniffled and wiped her eyes with her hands. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't…"

"Now who is ridiculous?" Kurt asked, tentatively putting a hand on her shoulder. "You saved my life. Listening is a small price to pay."

"I… I just feel like I let him down," she said. "I've known him my whole life. I'm the first person he told he was gay. When his dad found out, he beat him nearly to death. I was home for a visit. I held him off with my gun, and brought Stephen over here with me. About two years later he discovered heroin. He told me it took away the pain." She stuffed some things in the fridge, then pulled out a frying pan. "You're not vegan or anything, are you?"

"No," Kurt said, still holding the onion. "It sounds like you've done everything you can for him." 

"Cutting board's next to the microwave. Knives are in that drawer next to you," she said. Then, after a pause, "It just hasn't been enough. Yet. Maybe he'll come around."

"Maybe," Kurt said.


	2. Stephen

Ruby – Chapter Two

(As before, Nightcrawler, X-men, blah, blah, blah, Marvel, etc. Ruby is my own.)

A month later found Kurt still living with Ruby. He did the housework she complained she never had the time, nor the inclination to do, kept her company and joked her out of her dark moods after a phone call from her parents or Stephen. Stephen called periodically to reassure her that he was still alive, and doing… ok. Those calls were the hardest on her. She'd be angry after talking to her mother, but after Stephen called, she'd drop sobbing onto the couch, holding her head in her hands. Or walk out to the end of the dock, and stare into the water for hours. 

Kurt stood in the spare room, washing the windows, when he heard the door open, early for Ruby to be coming home from work.

"Ruby?" he called. "Is everything all right?" He walked out. Ruby stood at the end of the bar, holding herself up, her eyes red and bleak, tears running down her face and neck, the collar of her t-shirt dark with them. 

"Stephen…. Stephen's dead," she said, sinking to her knees, still holding the edge of the counter. She rested her forehead against it. "The police called. They want me to identify his body." Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. "I… I don't know how I made it here."

"Ruby, I'm so sorry," he said, kneeling next to her. He pulled her into his arms. She let go of the counter, her fingers digging into his upper arms.

"They said he left a suicide note," she sobbed into his chest. "Why didn't I do more?!" Her entire body shook with sobs. She let her head fall back and wailed, eyes closed tight. 

"Ruby," Kurt said, holding her tight. "You did everything you could."

"C… can you drive me down?" she asked. "I don't think I can… I can't do this alone." She rested her forehead against his chest now, the sobs slowing, becoming deep gulping breaths.

"I'll come with you," he said, rocking her. 

***

The police officer who met them at the morgue did a double-take when he saw Kurt, but to his credit, said nothing. He led them to the viewing room. When the attendant brought out the body and uncovered it, Ruby choked back a sob and buried her face in Kurt's chest. 

"Miss Dees?" the detective asked. 

"Its… Its Stephen," she said. "Oh God, how am I going to tell his mother?"

"The note said you're his next of kin," the detective said.

"His parents, his father, disowned him when he found out he was gay," Ruby said, wiping her eyes, as Stephen's body was rolled away. Kurt kept an arm around her shoulders, holding her gently. 

"Here's the note," the detective said, handing her a piece of paper. "We told his landlord you'd clean the place out." 

"Yeah." She took it with a shaking hand. "Yeah, sure," she said, stuffing the note in her jacket pocket. "Give me the number and I'll let him know. Are we done?"

"There's some paperwork, so you can claim the body," the detective said. "But there's no rush. I imagine you'll need a day or two to get arrangements made."

***

"I… don' know what else I could have, should have done," Ruby said, leaning against Kurt at the end of dock, her bare feet dangling in the water. She held Stephen's suicide note in one hand and the scant remains of a bottle of scotch in the other. 

"Ruby, you did all you could," Kurt said, remembering his own feelings of helplessness after the deaths of several of his own friends, like Piotr. He took the note from her hand and tucked it in his shirt pocket. "He said that himself."

"I should have killed his father when I hand… had the chance." She gestured with the bottle, fumbling it as she nearly lost her grip. Kurt took it from her as well, and poured the remains in the lake. 

"Ruby, shhh," Kurt said, setting the bottle behind them. "I think its time to go in."

"I don' wanna be alone," she said, looking up at him with anxious eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks again. 

"I'll stay with you," he said. "But first, let's get you inside." He stood and pulled her to her feet. She swayed, and he slung one of her arms over his shoulders.

"Yer so nnnice, Kurt," she slurred. "You don' haff to."

"Shush," he said, wrestling her in the door. He looked at her, then at the narrow stairs curving up the rounded wall to her loft. "Um…I'd teleport, but I don't know how your stomach…"

"I can crawl," she said, oozing down to all fours. "I think." She crawled slowly up the stairs, with frequent stops to get her bearings. Kurt stood just behind and beside her. She got to the top and crawled to the center of the floor, sitting with her legs splayed out. "I'm sorry, Kurt."

"Its all right," he said, lifting her up onto the bed, and laying her down. Unfastening her jeans, he tugged them off, leaving her in her t-shirt and underwear. He shifted her the rest of the way onto the bed, and covered her with the blankets. 

"I'll be right back," he said, setting the trashcan next to the bed, just in case. He left. By the time he returned in a t-shirt and sweats, she slept soundly. He crawled over her, to the inside of the bed. 

"Sleep well," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. 

***

When Kurt woke up the next morning, Ruby sprawled on her stomach, snoring. He left her sleeping and went downstairs. About an hour later, he heard retching and groaning. Shortly after that, Ruby staggered down the stairs and into the bathroom.

"I'm dying!!" she wailed, before throwing up again. "Oh God!!" By the time she'd emerged, showered and wrapped in a towel, Kurt had a cup of tea and a sleeve of crackers waiting. He eased her onto the couch. 

"I'm sorry," she murmured, sipping the tea.

"Don't be," he said, sitting next to her, on the side away from the bathroom , an arm around her shoulders. 

Later that day, dressed and managing to hold some food down, Ruby sat at the counter holding the phone, staring at it. Sighing she punched in a number.

"Jay? Its Ruby. Let me talk to your mom." She frowned. "No. Stephen's not here. That's why I'm… Hello, Bob. Nice to talk to you, too. No, Stephen's not here." Her voice cracked. "He's dead, Bob. Yes, dead. You finally killed him, you piece of shit. You fucking redneck. Now let me talk to Linda. Stephen is dead. Because of you, you… Shit. Fucker hung up on me. Can't imagine why," she said, dropping the phone to wipe the tears off her face. "Oh, that didn't go at all well." She dropped her face into her hands. "I don't know what I expected. Fuck, fuck, fuck."

The phone rang. When Ruby didn't move to answer it, Kurt picked it up. 

"Hello? Yes." He held it out to Ruby. "Its Stephen's mother." Without looking up, Ruby held out her hand for the phone.

"Linda? Yeah. Yeah, I'm sorry." With her head bowed, tears fell from her face to the counter, puddling. "Suicide. I know. He knew. I know he knew you still loved him. He loved you, too. Told me all the time. Yeah. Cremated. I don't know. I'll let you know. Bye. You take care too." She dropped the phone. 

"Ruby, are you all right?" he asked, a hand on her back. 

"No." She dropped her head onto the counter and sobbed.


	3. Cinderella

Ruby – Chapter Three

(Nightcrawler, yakety-shmakety, Marvel. Ruby, me.)

About a month and a half after Stephen's death, Ruby came home early on a Friday. 

"Come on, we're going out tonight," she said, throwing Kurt's coat at him.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Kurt said, dubiously.

"Kurt, this is Seattle. You will not be even remotely close to the weirdest looking person out there, particularly at the clubs I go to. At least not after we get you the right clothes."

"Clothes?"

"Clothes. Trust me, next to the guy who had metal spikes surgically implanted in his skull, you will look positively normal. And I NEED to go out."

"Angel's great," Ruby said, pulling Kurt into a store with flames painted on the front around a sign that read, "Armageddon Angel's Disasterwear". "She'll get you fixed up." True to her word, hardly a person had even looked at him twice, since they'd left the car in a pay lot just off Broadway.

"Angel, help! He needs club gear!" Ruby said, as the door banged shut behind them.

"Hey , Ru," said the rail thin girl with magenta dreadlocks who'd appeared behind the counter, wearing a purple vinyl tank dress over a fishnet shirt. She looked appraisingly at Kurt, in his faded jeans and button down white shirt. "You do love to bring me a challenge," she said, apparently more concerned with the jeans than his fur, hands or feet. She paused. "I was really bummed to hear about Stephen."

"Thanks," Ruby said, blinking back tears. She shook her head to clear it. "This is Kurt. You got any pants we could fix up for him? The tail thing, and all."

"Turn around, " Angel directed Kurt. He turned slowly in a circle. "What are you looking for?" 

"Black vinyl. And maybe a black, piratey sort of shirt," Ruby said. 

Twenty minutes later, after fifteen minutes of alterations and five minutes of coaxing on Ruby's part, Kurt emerged from the dressing booth in his new outfit. He walked out gingerly in the black vinyl pants, and a ruffled shirt that laced at the neck. 

"Oh wow!!" Ruby stared. "You look absolutely incredible!!  
"I don't know," Kurt said, looking down at the vinyl pants. "I think I look ridiculous."

"You do not," Ruby said. "Angel?"

"There'll be a string of broken hearts tonight," Angel said. She turned to Ruby, looking over the black knee-length skirt and Cramps t-shirt. "And what about you, my darling? Prince Charming here needs a Princess, not a scullery maid."

"I don't suppose you finished the dress?" Ruby asked.

"Over a month ago. I didn't want to bother you. Dressing room, darling. I'll bring it in."

"And the stockings?"

"Of course. And I have some shoes you can borrow, if you don't fall madly in love with them and decide you must buy them."

Ruby went into a booth. Clothes started hitting the floor. Angel slipped inside as well, carrying an armload of vinyl. After several minutes of shuffling and giggling, the curtain whipped back. Ruby wore a strapless black vinyl gown that clung to her body to the hips like a corset, then flowed out in a full skirt. 

"Mein Gott!" Kurt said. "You are breathtaking!" 

Ruby stepped out and turned slowly. The dress laced up the back, exposing a tattoo of a crow cleaning its beak on barbed wire. She stopped in front of him, facing him, waiting.

He took her hand and kissed the knuckles. 

"I will be most proud to escort you tonight," he said, still holding her hand. 

"Let's do your makeup," Angel said, clearing her throat. "Then, I want pictures."

***

"Did you have a good time?" Ruby asked when they returned to the dome. 

"I had a marvelous time," he said, opening the door for her. He bowed. She walked in, tossing her coat over the counter. 

"I was right, wasn't I?" she said, grinning at him. "You weren't the strangest looking person there. And hardly anybody looked twice. Except for all the girls." Then. "Ugh. I need a shower. Vinyl is really sweaty, and I danced hard."

"Did Justin really have those spikes surgically implanted?" Kurt asked. "He seemed like a nice enough guy, but I could not bring myself to ask." 

"He did. Took him forever to find someone to do it. He wound up going down to LA. They're actually threaded posts, so he can trade out different spikes for different occasions." She laughed. "He said it only hurt for about a month."

"I cannot imagine," Kurt said, "doing that to yourself on purpose." 

"Its part of the whole modern primitive thing," she said, shrugging. She pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge and took a deep drink, watching him over the bottle. She set the bottle down on the counter.

"You really do look… amazing," Ruby said, after a long pause, blushing a deep pink.

"As do you," he said, taking her hand in his to brush the knuckles with his lips. 

Ruby stepped forward and kissed him. Kurt pulled her into his arms. She slid her arms up around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair. 

"I'm going to need help getting out of this dress," she breathed. His tongue darted out to taste one of her earlobes. 

"Like this?" he whispered, his hands untying the laces that ran up her back. His lips traced the lines of her throat. His tongue teased the planes of her collarbones. 

"Uh, huh," she breathed, kissing him again. He peeled the dress down her body. She shimmied out of it, and stood before him wearing a thong and a pair of vinyl thigh-high stockings. 

"Mein Gott!" he groaned, pulling her back into his arms, kissing her hard. They fell back against the wall. He bent his head to kiss her breasts. Ruby moaned, and hooked her fingers under the thong. She wiggled out of it, and let it drop. His teeth grazed one of her nipples. She closed her eyes. Reaching down, she unfastened his pants, and wrapped a leg around his waist. 

"Mmmm… Kurt, please," she panted, feeling his hands on her breasts, lips on her throat. Without a word, he lifted her up, pushing into her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, kissing him hard. 

"Ruby," he growled, thrusting into her.

"Yes!" she shrieked, her legs tightening around his waist. "Oh, God! Kurt! Yes!!" His fingers dug into her hips, holding her steady. He buried his face in the curve of her neck and shoulder, panting. 

Afterwards, Ruby slowly lowered her legs, one at a time, to support herself. 

`"I've wanted to do that for ages." She kissed him. 

"I'd be lying, if I said I'd not thought of it myself," he said, his body pressed against hers.

"We need a shower, before we go to bed," she whispered.

"Bed?" he said. "What a wonderful idea."

"We have all weekend," she said, touching his lips with a finger.

"We do," he said, scooping her up in his arms.

***

The phone rang. Ruby opened one eye and flailed for it. 

"Yeah?" she muttered into the phone. One of Kurt's arms tightened around her waist. "No, Chris, I'm not coming in. I told you that yesterday. I told you I was going out last night. I don't care. So fire me. Uh huh. I'll be in on Monday to wind up some projects, but then I'm taking the whole rest of the week off." She pushed herself into a semi-sitting position. "Look, I only took one day off when Stephen died, I think… Ok. See you Monday."

"Everything all right?" Kurt asked, pulling her close

"Fine." She rolled over and snuggled against him. 

"You're taking next week off?" he asked, a hand moving slowly over her body.

"Mmm, hmmm," she mumbled, arching her back. "Spur of the moment idea. I thought maybe we'd spend it in bed. This one, or one in a hotel on the coast."

"Any bed you are in is fine with me," he said, nuzzling her throat. 

"Do that more," she whispered. 

"That, and more," he said, sliding down to her breasts. 

"God, I love the way you feel on my skin," she whispered, shivering. 

***

"Not even Domino's delivers out here," she grumbled, laying on the bed next to Kurt. "And I'm starting to get really hungry."

"There is food, it just needs to be prepared," he said, stroking her hair.

"Are you volunteering?" she asked.

"Of course," he said, climbing off the bed. 

"Mmmm, I love watching you move," she said, rolling onto her stomach, feet in the air. 

The phone rang again. She glared at it, then looked up at the calendar on her wall. 

"Oh, shit! Its Grammy's birthday and I forgot to call. Fuck!!" She picked up the phone. "Hello? Hi, Mom. Yes. I just realized what day it was. Give me a minute to go put this on speakerphone while I get some coffee or something. Hold on." She grabbed her robe and pelted down the stairs. Kurt heard her fumbling around down there, then, "Ok. You there?"

"Yes, Ruby," her mother's voice said, exasperated. "I'm giving the phone to Grammy now."

"Happy Birthday, Grammy," Ruby called.

"Thank you, Ruby," a feathery voice with a thick southern accent said over the phone.

"Did you get the shawl I sent you last month?"

"I did. Its lovely. Great-grandchildren would be a better present." 

"Aren't those brats of Tommy's enough for you?" Ruby asked. 

"Child," Grammy's voice said over the phone, "I mean legitimate great-grandchildren." 

"Tell Tommy to marry one of those tarts he keeps knocking up and that'll be taken care of, now won't it?" Ruby said, her voice quickly approaching her mother's in exasperation levels. 

"You surely are the Devil," Grammy said. "Riling an old lady like this on her birthday, when you couldn't even be bothered to drive out to see your Grammy in person."

"Grammy, it's a five hour drive," Ruby said.

"And you forgot what day it was," Grammy said, not fooled in the least. "At least tell me you're seeing somebody, and not keeping yourself all cooped up like a maiden-lady."

"Yes, Grammy, I am seeing someone," Ruby said. "In fact he's right here." 

Kurt frantically gestured "no" at her over the loft railing, as he got dressed. 

"Come here, and say hi to my Grammy, Kurt," Ruby said. Glaring at her, Kurt came down the stairs, wearing his jeans, no shirt. Ruby wrapped her arms around him. 

"Hello, Mrs. Dees?" he said. Ruby nodded. "Happy birthday."

"You not from around here, are you son?" Grammy said. 

"No, Grammy, he's German," Ruby said, stifling a giggle. "We'd better go. We've got, ah, tickets to a show. I'll talk to you later, Grammy." Ruby turned off the phone. 

"Hi, I'm the Devil. Pleased to meet you," she said, leaning back, her arms still around his waist.. She sighed and let go of Kurt to walk slowly across the room. 

"Ruby," he began. 

"I'm sorry, Kurt. I shouldn't have done that to you. I was feeling mean-spirited is all. But that, Kurt, that antiquated bullshit is what I have spent my whole life dealing with. Marriage and kids, kids and marriage. I believe they were all _highly_ disappointed when I didn't follow the family tradition of getting knocked up in high school." She stretched, slowly. "At least maybe talking to you will put some of their fears about my being a lesbian to rest. God knows if you don't have eight kids by the time you're twenty-five, there's gotta be something wrong with you."

"I didn't mind. Much," he said, going to her, pulling her into his arms. "I know your family upsets you."

"Ah, I'm used to it," she said, hugging him tight. "I'll get over it. Now, what was that about breakfast?"


	4. Mike

Ruby – Chapter Four

(NC, Marvel. Ruby, moi)

On Wednesday, the phone rang. 

"Let the machine get it," Ruby said, from Kurt's lap on the couch. "I'm comfy."

"Are you?" he asked, kissing her. After the fourth ring, the answering machine picked up. 

"This is Ruby, you know what to do. Beep."

"Ruby Dawn Dees, this is your mother. I know you're there. I called your office and Chris said you were home this week."

"Are you going to pick up?" Kurt asked, as Ruby rolled off onto the couch next to him.

"No," Ruby said, folding her arms over her chest. "I have nothing to say to that woman." 

"Ruby! Pick up this phone! You have avoided me long enough!" Ruby got up and turned off the volume on the answering machine. 

"I suddenly find myself in need of fresh air," she said. "Want to go for a walk?"

***

"Jeff and Lisa are very accepting," Kurt said, as they walked back to the house, past the parking area. They'd spent the last couple of hours with Jeff and Lisa, the older, hippie couple who owned the property Ruby's dome was part of. 

"I'm not entirely sure they don't view your appearance as a flashback," Ruby giggled. "I think I caught Jeff waving his hand in front of his face looking for tracers a couple of times." 

"Feeling better?" he asked, taking her hand.

"Much. I just don't know if I'm ready to face the tape yet," she said, squeezing his hand.

"Let it go until tomorrow then," he said, bringing her hand to his lips. 

"All right," she said, leaning up to kiss him quickly. 

Just then, a state patrol car roared down the drive and screeched to a halt in the parking area, throwing up clouds of dust. Kurt pulled Ruby back, behind him.

"Ruby!" A young trooper leapt out of the car.

"Oh Good God!" Ruby snapped, pushing past Kurt. "Mike, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Your… your mother was worried," he said, looking suspiciously at Kurt, hand inching toward his gun. 

"No. She's not worried, she's pissed because I won't talk to her," Ruby said. Kurt coughed. "Oh, sorry, Kurt, Mike." Ruby ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "Look, Mike, I'm sorry you drove all the way out here for nothing. I'm fine."

"Nice to meet you," he said automatically, nodding to Kurt, hand easing back from the gun. "It wasn't that far. They have me stationed out of North Bend right now. I'm glad you're fine. I'll let your mother know."

"Don't worry about it. I'll call her," Ruby said, relenting. "Want a coke, or a cup of coffee before you head on back?"

"Sure," Mike said, eyes back on Kurt. "You still got that mocha stuff?"

"Yeah," Ruby said. She took Kurt's hand again. "Mike and I dated briefly in high school."

"Ruby only ever dated anyone briefly," Mike said, taking his eyes of Kurt for the first time since he'd jumped out of the car. "The minute you got serious about her, she split like her ass was on fire." 

"Oh, and you were Mister Commitment?" she said. "I seem to remember a heartbroken cheerleading squad one township over, there, Mr. Man."

"Yeah, well, we were young," Mike said, blushing. 

***

Inside, they sat at the counter. Ruby got the coffee. The answering machine light blinked menacingly. 

"You heard from Stephen lately?" Mike asked. Ruby dropped the bag of coffee.

"Stephen's dead," she said. "I guess mom neglected to tell you that." She picked up the coffee. "Its why I'm not speaking to her." 

"Oh, Ruby, I'm sorry," Mike said. 

"Nobody's fault, really," she said, her voice shaking. 

"So, you're, ah…" Mike said, turning to Kurt after a long, awkward silence. 

"A mutant," Kurt said. Over by the coffee maker, Ruby coughed, sounding suspiciously like a stifled laugh. 

Mike blushed a deep red.

"And I suppose you were all blasé about it when you met him," Mike grumbled

"Actually, I was too worried about whether the truckers I rescued him from were going to follow us and run me off the road," Ruby said. "It didn't even occur to me who he was until we were well away from the rest area." 

"She, rescued you?" Mike asked.

"Ja, she did," Kurt admitted, looking over at Ruby, a smile lurking at the corners of his mouth. 

"If that don't beat all," Mike said. Ruby threw a wadded up coffee filter at his head. "Hey! What?!"

"What?" Ruby said, disgusted. "Don't you think I'm capable of…"

"Simmer down, Firecracker," he said, holding up his hands. 

"Call me that again, and I'm spitting in your coffee," Ruby growled. 

"Old nickname. Someone is a natural redhead," Mike told Kurt in a stage whisper behind his hand. 

"Is she?" Kurt asked. 

"You mean to tell me you haven't…" Mike started. 

"I shave now, Michael," she said, laughing when he blushed a deeper red. 

"You and Ruby have known each other a long time?" Kurt asked to save Mike, as he sputtered. 

"All our lives," Mike answered finally. "Born two days apart in the same hospital. Our families always thought we'd get married."

"Sorry, Mike. I just never felt that way about you," Ruby said, sitting on the kitchen side of the counter. 

"Me neither, really," Mike said. Something in the tone told Kurt that wasn't entirely true. 

"So," Mike said, after a minute. "Ruby rescued you?"

"Kurt, can I talk to you before I go?" Mike asked, after he'd finished his coffee. 

"Of course," Kurt said, following Mike out the door. 

"Sorry, if I seemed a little twitchy back there," Mike said. "What with the phone call from Mrs. Dees, and, well…"

"My appearance?" Kurt supplied. 

"Yeah, that," Mike said. "I shoulda known if you were with Ruby you were ok. She's good like that."

"It is all right. I'm used to it," Kurt said.

"No. No, its not. I could have done something stupid," Mike said. He took a deep breath, and offered Kurt his hand. "Take care of Ruby," Mike said. "She's not as tough as she'd like to think."

"I will take care of her," Kurt said, shaking his hand. "But I think you underestimate her greatly."

"Maybe I do," Mike said. "I still remember the girl sitting in the middle of a road in her prom dress with a dying dog in her lap after another car hit it." He looked off into the distance. "We never did make it to prom. She made me drive to the vet's house. The dog didn't stand a chance, but she said she had to try. She cried for hours." He cleared his throat. "A word of advice. Avoid meeting her folks as long as you can. They're not gonna take you well at all."

"It's the accent, isn't it?" Kurt asked, deadpan. Mike looked blank. "I am kidding. I understand. Thank you for the advice."

"I'll tell Mrs. Dees that Ruby's fine," Mike said. "And that she's found herself a good guy. Tell Ruby I said bye." He walked back to his patrol car. 

"Well?" Ruby asked when Kurt came back in the house.

"When he first got here, did you notice…?"

"His hand near his gun? Yeah, but I knew he wouldn't shoot you, so I ignored it," she said.

"You might have mentioned that to me," he said. 

"Eh?" she shrugged. "What did he have to say?"

"He wanted to tell me to take care of you," Kurt said, hugging her. 

"And you said?" Ruby prompted. 

"That I thought he underestimated you," he said kissing her. "But I would like nothing more than to take care of you for the rest of both our lives." 

"You romantic schemer," she said, kissing him back. Then, "See. Nothing to worry about."

"He also told me about your prom date," Kurt said. 

"Yeah, my mom screamed bloody murder. A three hundred dollar prom dress ruined, covered with dog blood." She sighed. "Anything else?"

"He suggested I avoid meeting your parents," he said. 

"That's not going to be hard, since I intend to have as little to do with them as possible," she said. "Their reaction to Stephen's death was the last straw. I know they didn't approve of his lifestyle, but all things considered, I expected a little more compassion than, 'what did you expect from one of those people?' Like he was an alien species or something." She pulled away and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. "Argh!! Ok. I'm doing it. I'm calling my mother. If you feel for me at all, please, have a drink ready for me." She picked up the phone, and punched in the number. 

"Hi, mom. Yes. Yes, Mike was here. Everything's fine. Yes, I know I haven't called. I know. I KNOW. Mom, what's this really about?" Ruby asked, folding her free arm over her chest. "I know you too well, you raised me, as you so often point out. Mmm hmm, yes. Yes, I did have to be rude to Bob like that. Yes, he is to blame for Stephen's death, and yes, I did call him a piece of shit. I also called him a fucking redneck. Why?" She pulled the phone away from her head for a second and stared at it unbelieving, before answering. "Because he is, Mom. He is. He tried to beat Stephen to death. The only thing that stopped him was me and a fucking gun. Yes. Yes, I appreciate that you still have to live in the same town with him. Fine, tell him you've finally disowned me. Why the hell not? You've been threatening to for years." She sat on the arm of the futon. "Mom, look I'm sorry Bob took it out on you, ok? No. No, you're right you didn't raise me like that. I developed principles all on my own." She clicked off the phone and threw herself down on the couch.

"Can I do anything, Ruby?" Kurt asked, sitting next to her. 

"Just hold me for a while," she said, wiping tears off her face. "Remind me that not everyone in this godforsaken world sucks."

Kurt pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. She rested her head on his chest, with a deep sigh. After a few minutes, he looked down at the top of her head. 

"Ruby _Dawn_?" he asked. 

"Call me that again and you sleep on this couch," she muttered, head still resting on his chest, eyes closed. "Its not my fault."

Kurt chuckled, and squeezed her quickly. 


	5. The Dock

Ruby – Chapter 5

(NC, blah, Marvel: Ruby, blah, me)

Thursday morning, Ruby woke up alone. She rolled over to look at the clock. Four thirty AM. She peered out the window, up the hill to see the barest greying of the sky over the trees to the east. 

"Kurt?" she called.

No answer.

Ruby got up, pulled on her silver silk robe, and padded downstairs. The kitchen, living room, bathroom and spare room, empty except for two sleeping cats sprawled on the futon. She stopped, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she padded over to the door and out into the chilly morning. 

"Kurt? You ok?" she asked, running lightly down the dock, toward him. She held the robe tightly around herself, shivering.

"Ja," he said, turning towards her from where he sat at the end of the dock, in jeans and a cream sweater, his legs hanging over the end. "You should go back inside. You'll freeze."

"I'm fine," she said, sitting next to him. Curling her legs under her body, she carefully hiked her robe up away from the water. "Are you?"

"Ja," he said, looking out over the still, slate water of the lake. Shreds of fog drifted slowly over the dark surface. "I couldn't sleep."

"Do you want to talk?" she asked, scooting closer to him. She snuggled up against his side, shivering a little harder. "Are you happy? Here? With me?"

"Ja," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer. "I thought you knew that."

"I did… I mean, I do… but you're so conflicted right now, I don't know."

"Not about you," he said, as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "I am not at all conflicted about you." 

"But you are conflicted," she said. "Confused."

"Not so much conflicted…" he said, trailing off. "After Piotr's death I needed… something… Something more than saving the lives of people who would never know, or if they did still wouldn't… What was it you said about Stephen's father the other day?"

"Wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire?" she supplied. 

"Ja. You get the idea," he said. "We lived and died to protect them, and still we are monsters to be feared. Those truckers you saved me from, they didn't care that with the X-men and Excalibur that I had helped stop people, mutants and normal, who would enslave them. They saw only a 'mutie'." 

"Its enough to make anyone bitter," Ruby said. "Believe me, I understand feeling unappreciated, maybe not on so large a scale, but I do understand." 

"I don't want to become bitter," he said, leaning his head on hers. He paused for a few moments. "I considered entering the priesthood."

"What a dreadful thought," Ruby mumbled. 

"I am glad I didn't. Helping you through Stephen's death has helped me. Your grief and how you deal with it, how you express it, and how you put it in perspective with the rest of your life. This has all taught me much about my own grief."

"Mmm… you got something out of keeping me from driving over to Eastern Washington and kicking Bob's ass into next week?" she asked.

"A handle on my own rage," he said, remembering clearly the night he'd dragged her kicking, screaming and sobbing back into the house until she'd calmed down enough to be reasonable.

"God, I'm such a head case," she groaned, snuggling closer.

"No more so than anyone mourning the loss of a loved one," he said, his lips brushing the top of her head. "I attacked a stranger." He looked out over the water again. "I could not believe that… this shallow, self-centered, cretin lived, while Piotr…" his voice broke. 

Ruby got to her knees and pulled his head against her chest, stroking his hair. Kurt's arms circled her waist, his body shaking with sobs. She pressed her lips to the top of his head, tears running down her cheeks. 

"Why?" he wailed, crushing her in his arms. 

"I wish I could tell you," she whispered, holding him as tightly as he'd held her when she'd mourned Stephen. 

When he finally loosened his grip, Ruby took a deep gasping breath, her first since he'd started to cry. 

"Why didn't you tell me you couldn't breathe?" he asked, as she wiped his face with her robe. 

"I didn't pass out or anything," she said, kissing him gently. "You needed it."

"Thank you, Ruby," he said, touching her face, his fingers coming away wet. "I thank God every day for bringing me to you."

"Pass along my thanks, too, while you're at it," she said, kissing him again, a hand flat against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist again, and she slid over his lap, straddling his legs. 

"What are you wearing under this?" he asked, feeling her tug the robe up from between them.

"Nothing," she breathed, her lips by his ear. She bit his earlobe, gently. He moaned. 

"We should go inside," he said, kissing her throat.

"Nope," she panted, reaching down for the fly of his jeans.

"Ruby! Its…"

"Not even light yet," she whispered, kissing him again.

"What if someone sees?" he asked, trying and failing to keep her hand away from his zipper. 

"You're not trying very hard," she growled. "Besides, no one'll be up for hours." She unzipped his jeans and slid her hand around his already hard cock. 

"Ahhh." He kissed her hard, as she lowered herself onto his cock. 

"Mmm, Kurt," she moaned, slowly rocking her hips against him. She lifted herself up on her knees, until he was just barely inside of her. Kurt lowered his lips to her breast, nudging her robe out of the way, his hands under the robe, gripping her ass. His lips closed on a nipple, and she drove herself back down on his cock, biting her lower lip to keep herself from crying out. 

"Ruby!" he groaned. His voice echoed across the lake. He slid a hand up into her hair, pulling her to him for another kiss. 

"Oh, yes!" she panted, her lips against his, sliding up and down on his cock. Kurt kissed her, stifling both of their cries. 

The movement of her hips sped up, until they shuddered against one another. Ruby went limp on top of him, her chin on his shoulder, panting with soft whimpers. 

Kurt put a hand on the dock behind him, to hold the two of them up. 

"Mmm… Kurt," she purred, her arms sliding slowly around his neck. 

"Ruby," he murmured, lifting his other hand to caress her side through the robe. 

"Let's go back to bed," she said, easing off of him, her robe still covering his lap until she'd zipped him back into his jeans. 

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," he said, watching her climb unsteadily to her feet. She grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet as well. 

"Aw, shit!" she squealed, spinning around. The bottom few inches of her robe were dark with water, and had slapped against her bare legs. "I must've dropped it in the water. Crap!"

"You should get out of those wet things," he said grinning, and swung her up over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. 

"Ah!! Put me down! Fiend!" she shrieked, giggling, and letting him carry her to the house. 


End file.
